TIFF 2026 Movie Review: ‘Dorothy’
This is an ironic way to start a review: ‘Dorothy’ is best experienced blind. For a genuinely fulfilling experience, close this page, mute the film’s mentions on your socials, and book your movie ticket. You don’t need to hear anything from anyone else but Karthik Subbaraj himself.
Childhood friends Subbu (Sananth) and Karthi (Rishikanth) grow up performing masculinity as they see it in the films of Bruce Lee and Rajnikanth. We watch them turn from boys to men, while women suffer death and violence in the background of their coming-of-age story. Karthi, once timid and empathetic, is now the epitome of what a hypermasculine man from their village should be – tough, unemotional, unforgiving. But Subbu has somehow become softer, much to his gangster family’s dismay.
Subbu builds a strong bond with his beautiful new sister-in-law Dorothy (Keerthy Suresh). Through her, Subbu starts to openly confront the misogyny that has surrounded them all their lives. This empathy turns into defiance, and it is in Karthi’s gun-laden hands to put and end to it.
Going through the motions of the movie that has been set up so far, this is the point where the violence should escalate. Rivers of blood should flow in a montage of increasingly complex fight sequences. But ‘Dorothy’ isn’t a typical gangster movie. In fact, it’s not a gangster movie at all. Just when you expect the film to become an angry testosterone competition, it turns into a story about love in its purest form: kind, patient, and brave. And just when you expect it to become tragic, Karthik Subbaraj gives you joy. Joy that will drive you to tears, which won’t stop even after the credits are over.
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There will be lots of debate surrounding this movie, particularly around Sananth’s casting and his character’s progression. As important as those discussions about representation are, they go hand-in-hand with the care and compassion that this film exudes. His performance is so careful and human, one that is only enhanced by an equally stellar screen partner like Rishikanth. ‘Dorothy’ is not a social justice film, but does a lot of things the right way, from the way Subbu/Dorothy are presented visually to the way they defy stereotypical tropes in the plot. The main characters never succumb to the tragedy everyone believes they are fated to, because the film is not interested in milking their trauma for a loud audience response. There is also a larger discussion about how gender and caste discrimination play out in our communities. These choices are made consciously at every level of filmmaking, by every person involved, and it reflects in the heart of the film. It’s not perfect, but it is definitely a leap in the right direction.
Now that we’ve established what ‘Dorothy’ isn’t, you might be wondering, what is this movie ultimately about? It’s about Dorothy’s protection of Subbu’s trust. Subbu’s patience and faith in Karthi – as he sits with his discomfort, that he will find his way back. Karthi’s compassion that gives Dorothy space to finally be herself. ‘Dorothy’ is a love story. The most compelling one I’ve seen in a long time.
